A Few Things We Pride Ourselves For!

Communication

Striving to give and maintain the best communication within sessions, and within external services as well. Using proper communication is important to create changes necessary for the healing process.

Professional Services

Having completed a Masters at Wilfrid Laurier University, and being M.S.W., R.S.W. registered is important for you. With these registrations, it ensures all sessions and practices are regulated and updated to the current structures. This also ensures that you are getting the best service!

Treatment Approach

Boost Living Experience

Here to boost your daily living experience, help you through tough times, and give you the strength to move forward from hardship of the past, and present. With professional skills, we are able to help many stresses in your life.

Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing

EMDR Definition

EMDR is an evidence-based psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

In addition, successful outcomes are well-documented in the literature for EMDR treatment of other psychiatric disorders, mental health problems, and somatic symptoms.

The model on which EMDR is based, Adaptive Information Processing (AIP), posits that much of psychopathology is due to the maladaptive encoding of and/or incomplete processing of traumatic or disturbing adverse life experiences. This impairs the client’s ability to integrate these experiences in an adaptive manner.

The eight- phase, three-pronged process of EMDR facilitates the resumption of normal information processing and integration.

This treatment approach, which targets past experience, current triggers, and future potential challenges, results in the alleviation of presenting symptoms, a decrease or elimination of distress from the disturbing memory, improved view of the self, relief from bodily disturbance, and resolution of present and future anticipated triggers.

EMDR Professional Services

EMDR Psychotherapy Guidelines: EMDR procedures facilitate the effective reprocessing of traumatic events or adverse life experiences and associated beliefs, to an adaptive resolution.

Specific procedural steps are used to access and reprocess information which incorporates alternating bilateral visual, auditory, or tactile stimulation.

EMDR utilizes an 8- phase, 3-pronged, approach to treatment that optimizes sufficient client stabilization before, during, and after the reprocessing of distressing and traumatic memories and associated stimuli.

The intent of the EMDR approach to psychotherapy is to facilitate the client’s innate ability to heal.

Therefore, during memory reprocessing, therapist intervention is kept to the minimum necessary for the continuity of information reprocessing.

Meet Laura

Laura Dowler

-Executive Director

Laura Dowler

-Executive Director

Laura Dowler is the Executive Director and owner of Grand River Counselling. She began her private practise in 2012 after working with a variety of client populations such as community services (sexual assault, domestic violence, criminality, mental health), correctional settings and children’s mental health.

Laura Dowler has a Master of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. She is a member in good standing with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers and the Ontario Association of Social Workers. In addition, Laura has a Honours B.A. in Criminology and a Diploma in Police Foundations.

Laura specializes in working with trauma, mental health, and relationship issues. Laura has a special interest in working with First Responders, male survivors of sexual abuse, victims of narcissistic relationships and complex mental health issues.